Turn on Hindquarters
By Kellyn
The turn on the hindquarters, like the turn on the forehand, is a simple maneuver that is an excellent stepping stone to more advanced moves, such as the pirouette in dressage, or spinning in reining.
Starting from the ground, stand at your horse’s neck, and apply pressure with your reins or lead rope where your rein would be if you were riding him, and walk into him. This will make him move, turning his front feet around his back feet. Remember not to keep constant pressure, so don’t just lean on the horses neck, that won’t accomplish much of anything, unless you’re looking to take a nap.
Sometimes the horse will start to back up, rather than turn on his back feet. To prevent this, make sure you are at his neck/shoulder area, and the rein is across his neck, not applying pressure on his mouth and asking him to back up. Check your position and make sure you’re not asking him to back up, in which case he’s simply doing what he’s told.
The goal here is to get the horse to plant one back foot and pivot around it, while his front feet cross, making him spin in a circle.
